Safety automatic elevator-door equipment



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,461

0. P. MCGEE SAFETY AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR DOOR EQUIPMENT Filed May 26, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 J6 gnuanfor Jan. 5 1926.

O. P. M GEE SAFETY AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR DOOR EQUIPMENT 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 26,

Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,461 0. P. MOGEE SAFETY AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR DOOR EQUIPIENT Filed May 26, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q 5 ms w I. VS N 2 o & i W I .l I Q x .54 U S k\\ I Q: Q N Q F i. w w i Q 2 LR w Jan. 5 1926.

O. P. MCGEE SAFETY AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR DQOR EQUIPMENT Filed May 26, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 V Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,461

0. P. M GEE SAFETY AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR DOOR EQUIPMENT Filed May 26, 1924 5' sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR P. MOGEE, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO W. A. SEDWICK, 01 DALLAS, TEXAS.

SAFETY AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR-DOOR EQUIPMENT.

Application filed May 26, 1924. Serial No. 715,866.

To Kill whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR P. MCGEE, citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and use- :t'ul improvements in Safety Automatic Elevator-Door Equipments, of which the foling is aspecification.

This invention relates to new and useful 1 improvements in safety automatic door cqui pments.

he object of the invention is to provide meins for mechanically opening and closing elevator doors in a safe manner.

A further object is to provide means for operating elevator doors with a minimum expenditure oi labor and quickly, whereby a saving of time is eliected and the service is speeded up.

Another object is to provide electrically operated elevator doors arranged so that they cannot be opened until the car fioor is approximately flush with the floor landing or nearly so.

A further feature resides in the provision of means for mechanically operating elevator doors connected with the car circuits in such a manner that the car cannot be moved it the doors are open or partially so.

Still another object of the invention is to prmide a motor operator carried by the elavator car in combiinition with door operatiug means at the floor landing, inoperatiw until engaged by said operator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the door operator eleu'icnt which engages with the door operating means, cannot be moved out of its proper position when not engaged with said means.

Another object is to provide a trip switch operated by the door actuating means to break the car circuit when the doors are opened and rcruiiring that the doors be fully closed before the car circuit is restored.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following speci- 5U fication and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a sliding door equipment and its operating means constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 IS a cross-sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. folding doors,

Fig. 4- is a cross-sectional view of the same,

F 5 is an elevation of the door opening and (losing mechanism,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section on the line 66 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a detail of the chain and door connections,

Fig. 8 is a plan View of the operator and the coor actuating means, connected,

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the operator mounted on the car,

F 10 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of r Fig. 3,

Fig. 11 is a sectional detail of the worm drive,

Fig. 12 is an enlarged transverse sectional view showing the operator stud Wheel in engagement with the shoe of the door operating mechanism and the automatic cut-out, 13is a plan of the stud and show n mechanism, and

1 showing F ig 14 is a sectional view of the cut-out.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates the doorwa at the iioor landing of elevator shaft. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have sliding doors .11, while in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive I have mounted upon a suitable track 14.. style of door best suited for the building or desired by the owner may be used.

The

The invention has to do with means for mechanically opening and closing the doors automatically by means of mechanism operated by an electric motor, simply by closing the circuit to said motor.

This

mechanism is divided into two main parts which are, door actuating or opening and closing means. carried in shaft wall at the and an operator and control carried on the elevator ca and arranged for coupling with the said mccluzuism tor actuating the door.

I will first: descrihe the door actuating means. A lintel is formal over the door- 2 l5 over the doors. 1 33) of the memher is mounted a h; a M in which are journared sprocket. rshecls l6 and if) respectirely; while at the opposite end of the said inemher a l.)1';1("t is located. In hracltet 20 mounted a large spr chet wheel 21 rotatable upon an axle 2:2 fastened in the hrachet. in endless SPIOCl-LQ'L' chain 23 has one end mounted on the wheel 18 and the other engaged around the wheel 21. A sprocket wheel mounted in the bracket 20 co-acts with the wheel l9 in holding the lengths of the chain in superposed parallel relation.

For operating the wheel 31, chain a flanged. pinion 25 (Fig mounted to revolve on the axle attached to the hub of the wheel 21. i i 26 (Fig. 5) mounted on guide rollers 21' has teeth 28 on its upper edge engaging with the pinions. By moving the our longitudinally the pinion is revolved and the chain 23 caused to move. The upper lower lengths of the chain more in opposite directions. Yi here the doors are to slide as in Figs. 1 and 2, a stud 2ft attached to one of the central ha igers l3 of one oi": the middle doors. while a HtLClIGt? is :tastened to the other middle door.

he chain lengths as is shown hest in Fig.

l i (29th we 10 by a longituumil angle member to tlil tlltllllg 'l ie'.

hating a slot itthe right hand end ell t i move the l in A 1 r dllt.

E 7 a1 0 provided with slotted links 31, in oit'set elation. of" the lowest link. The hrachet 30 is voho shape so that the lower length ot the chain may: pass 'lreelv theretln'oue h. has a stud 32 tzistening the link ll ot' the upper chain length thereto. it will he seen that: when the chain is operated the links 31 will he moved in opposite directions and the door thus slid. There the doors are hinged the same connectionsv a e employed. in order to mahe an easy and smooth opera tion the stud 29 and the shaul; ot the Lu-ache; 80. are provided with roller sleeves 5:33 travelinc in the slot 16 of the angle nreiiher 15. which may he properly lubricated. lVhen the chain is moved in one direction the doors are ope rec. and when moved in the opposite direction, the doors are closed.

The (.001' actuating mechanism is enclosed in a housing: 34 having' a cover plate provided with a slot (Figs. 1 and 3). On the racit oar 26 is clamped at block 3? 5, 19 and 13) which is slidahle on the bar.

The stud is fastened in the slot noose-e1 Ta is fastened in the desired position and n is mounted a stud roller 39 projecting through the slot 36. Means carried by the elevator car is arranged to cnga 'c the roller and more the same along saio lot. wnere- Toy the racl: bar is moved longitudinally and the door niecl anism actuated.

This operating means comprises a rack bar 40 disposed to he positionetl parallel to the our Qt? when the car is stop ed at the floor landing 8). The ha? is supported hetween flange guide rollers ll mount d on red upon a hase memher 43 suitably supported on the top of the clevat car (not I vertical eh: ielled shoe 4.4- is rastened on the rack {U Q) in position to receirc the stud r 13 5) of the doo actuating mecl anism. and lower ends of the channel of t are flared so that it will more readi y the roller. One of the side walls of the shoe is slotted to receive a verti-al contact lever 4-5. The shoe has an upright standard 4 t w t one side to the upper end of which is pivoted the upper end ot the shank 4;? oi the contact lever. A leaf spring 48 hearing against the shank holds t-h lever to its normal position, whereby its ce 4-9 projects into the channel of the shoe so as to he engaged and displaced laterally by the stud roller 39.

The displacing ot the lever causes a depending spring Contact. arm 50, carried thereh to engage a contact 51 tastencd to the shoe. whereby the door operating circuit is closed. A circuit wire It. leads from the arm 50, while a circuit wire l3. leads from the contact For operating the rack bar an a stand 53 electric motor 52 is mounted secured to the member This motor drives the "ack har through the agency of a transmission shown in detail in Figs. 10 and 11. The transmission comprises a case 3 t mounted. on a pedestal secured to the hasu member 4 1-. The armature shatt 55 of the motor is extended through and suitahlv mounted in the upper end of the case. worm screw 5i fastened to the shaft it; id drives a worm gear The gear is io elv mounted on a transverse shatt 59 ere 11 line through the casing. A friction '11 plate (30 tastened on the shaft; engages e oi the and is revolved thereby. sha t t 59 outside oi the case is secured ed oinion i which rides in the teeth (32 of the inch n 2' l0. will he seen that it rat-t h: l should tail to move or is engra ed in the shoe it and the rack bar -20 is moved long tudinally the doors will he opened and a reverse morcment ot the bill The shoe is ol such length that the car floor must be within a couple of inches of the landing floor, for the roller 39 to be within the shoe and in engagement with the face 49 of the lever 45. The wires-Aand B of the contacts 50 and 51 are suitably connected in the circuit to the motor 52, in which circuit is also included a switch (not shown) in the car for closing said circuit. It will be seen that the motor circuit cannot be closed while the car is between floors and only when the roller 39 is in the shoe. Thus the shoe cannot be moved out of registering position with the said roller and the doors cannot be opened except when the car is at the floor landing.

It is import-ant that the circuit to the car elevating motor, which is known as the power circuit, be cut oil while the doors are open or partially so. To accomplish this I mount a cut-out switch on the base member 4-3. This switch comprises a box 63 having a transverse shaft 64 fulcrumed thereon. A switch arm 65 is centrally fastened on the shaft 64 and has a transverse contact strip 66 at one end. A pair of spaced contact standards 67 are mounted on an insulating base 68 in the box. The standards are spaced apart so as to be engaged by the wings of the strip 66 and the circuit there between closed. Each standard has a depending hanger (it) with a wire receiving eye T0 at its lower end. Power circuit wires C and I entering the ho? are fastened in the eyes.

Directly over the center of the bar 65 is a vertical tubular housing 71 having elongated trunnions 72 extending through the walls of the box and located in the same vert cal plane, as the shaft 64. A spring plunger comprising a head 73. a roller 74. and a reduced shank 75 a re mounted in the housing. The roller bears on the bar 65, while the shank extends through the top of the housing. A coiled spring 76 confined in the housing about the hank presses against the head and thus hold ng the roller on the bar. To one of the trunnions 72 is fastened a right angular tripping lever 77. its legs diverging from said trunnion. This lever is outside of the box and adjacent the rack bar ell) at one end thereof, as is shown in F 8 and 9. A tripping block 78 slidable upon the bar 10 is fastened in position by a set screw 7 9 and carries an outwardly directed tripping pin 80.

The lever 77 is normally positioned (Figs. 12 and 14) with one leg vertically in the path of the pin 80 and the otherleg directed horizontally toward the pin. The housing 71 is inclined so that the plunger depresses the bar 65, wherein; the contact strip 66 is in engagement with the standards 61', thus closing the power circuit, and permitting the bar 40 is moved a short distance, say an inch, the pin 80 engages the upstanding leg of the lever 77 and swings the same, whereby the housing 71 is swung to an upright position and then to the opposite inclination. The roller 7 1: riding on the bar eo, will swing the same, just as soon as it passes the center ot said bar. The spring plunger will impel theroller and complete the swing of the bar, which is limited by a stop post 81.

This movement will also complete the swing of the lever i? so that the leg which was normally horizontal. will be vertical. and in the path 02 the pin 80 upon the reverse movement 0"! the bar 40.

lVheu tl'e bar 65 is swung the power circuit is br ien and the car cannot be moved. It will be seen that the pin 80 will not engage the lever 1 upon the closing movement of the doors, until STClLlDOYQIHGDt is nearly completed.

In order to automatically stop the motor 52 when the doors have reached the end or" their opening and also when they have reached the end of their closing movement, so as not to injure any of the parts and to eliminate manual manipulation, I provide cut-out switches 82 and 83. switches the parts are substantially duplicated and the same reference numerals may apply, except that wires E and F lead from the box: 82, while wires G and H lead from the box 83. The wires E, F, G and H are connected in a three-way circuit including the motor 52 and the switch in the car. This circuit may be supplied with current from the lighting circuit of the elevator car. The trip pins 80 are located on the bar 40 so that the initial. movement thereof will trip the lever 77 of the power circuit switch ho 63 and cut olt the power to operate the car.

The switch boxes 82 and 5 .3 with their trip levers 77 are arranged so that when the cir cuit is closed at one box it is open at the other. When the doors are closed the circuit through the switch box 82 is opened and the circuit through the box 83 is closed. Upon the initial movement oi the bar 40 to open the doors, the lever T? of the box 82 is tripped, whereby the switch is closed. It will be necessary to use a controlling switch in the car having one pole connected with the box 82 and another pole connected with the box 88. To operate the door. connection is made through the box 83. When the bar 40 reaches the end of its opening movement, it will trip the lever 77 of the box 83 and open this switch, whereby the motor will be stopped. Upon closing the circuit through box 82, the bar 410 will be moved in the opposite direction and the levers 77 of the box 83 will be tripped, thus closing said switch and as said bar completes its movement, the

elevator car to be operated. When the rack lever 77 of the box 82 will be tripped, thus In these latter stopping the motor. By this arrangement the motor will he automatieally stopped when the bar reaches each end of its strolzc.

What I claim is:

1. In an elevator door operating apparatus, means located at the door for opening and closing the same, electrically operated means ."lrried by the car and located to engage the door actuating means at the floor landing only, the electrical circuit of the operating means being normally open, and means For closing said circuit when the operating means engages the door actuating means.

2. In an elevator door operating apparatus, means located at the door for opening and closing the same, electrically operated means carried by the car and located to engage the door actuatingmeans at the floor landing only, the electrical circuit of the operating means being normally open, means For closing said circuit when the operating means engages the door actuating means, and means actuated by the operating means it'or breaking the power circuit to the car when the doors are opened.

3. In an elevator door operating apparatus, door opening and closing means having a movable door actuating member oi a power circuit. switch for the elevator car, means carried by said member for actuating said switch to open the circuit upon movement thereof and to close said circuit upon a reverse movement of said member, and circuit switches for the door operating means, and means carried by the member for operating said door circuit switches located to operate one switch when the doors are open and to operate the other switch when the doors are closed.

4-. As a sub-combination in an elevator door operating apparatus, a longitudinally movable operating member, a switch box, a contact bar in the box, a contact normally engaged by said bar, a spring plunger hearing on said bar, a trip connected with said plunger to shift it to raise said bar from the contact, and means carried by the operating member for operating the trip upon movement of said member.

5. As a sub-combination in an elevator door operating apparatus, a longitudinally movable rack bar, an electric motor connected with said rack bar for operating the same, and a shoe carried by said rack bar for engaging a door opening and closing means.

6. As a sub-combination in an elevator door operating apparatus, a longitudinally movable door operating member, an electric motor connected with said member for operating the same, a shoe carried by said member for engaging a door opening and closing means, and a switch carried by the shoe and connected in the motor circuit normally holding said circuit open, said switch bein arranged to he closed when the shoe engages a door actuating device.

7. In an elevator door operating apparatns, the combination with a door opening and closing means having an actuating stud, oi an electrically driven operating mer. oer, a shoe mounted on the member to receive the stud, and an electrical switch controlling the operating circuit of the operating member carried by the shoe and closed by the stud when the latter is received in the shoe.

b. In an elevator door operating apparatus, the combination with movable elevator liooi' landing doors, at a common operating member connected with said doors for openand closing the same, means for actuatsaid member, a connecting element carhy actuating means, a motor operated actuator carried by the elevator car and located to engage the connecting element,

and means tor cutting oil the power circuit oi the car automatically operated by said a c t u a-tor.

o .-1v. .1. a. in an e em 01 L001 operating appara tus, the combination with movable elevator floor landing doors, of an endless chain at each floor connected with said doors for opening and closing the same, means for actuating said chain, a connecting element carried by actuating means, a motor oper ated actuator carried by the elevator car and located to engage the connecting eleent, and means automatically operated for opping the motor of the actuator when the doors are fully opened and fully closed.

10. In an elevator door operating appara tus, the combination with movable elevator floor landing doors, of a common operating member connected with said doors for opening and closing the same, means for operatingsaid member, a reciprocating rack bar actuating said means, a stud carried by the bar, and a. motor operated actuator carried by the elevator car and located to engage said stud to reciprocate the rack bar.

11. In an elevator door operating apparatus, the combination with movable elevator floor landing doors, of an endless chain having its oppositely n'iovable lengths connected to doors to be parted, a gearing for operating said chain, a rack bar engaging said gearing, a stud carried by the rack bar, and a motor operated actuator carried by the elevator car located to engage said stud.

12. As a sub-combination in an elevator door opening and closing apparatus, a horizontal endless chain, a. door stud connected to lower length of the chain, and a door.

bracket straddling the lower chain length and connected to the upper length of the chain, and means for operating the chain to cause the bracket and stud to move in opposite directions.

13. In an elevator door operating apparatus, a reciprocating rack bar, a shoe carried by the rack bar, a base member, supports for the bar mounted on the base member, an electric motor mounted on the base member, and a transmission connected to the motor and engaging the rack bar and including a friction clutch.

14. In an elevator door operating appa a tus, a reciprocating rack bar, a vertical shoe carried by the bar, a switch contactarm mounted in the shoe, a base member, supports for the bar mounted on the base menibcr, an electric motor mounted on the base member, and a transmission connected to the motor and engaging the rack bar and including a friction clutch.

15. In an elevator door operating apparatus, a reciprocating bar, a shoe carried by the rack bar, a base member, roller supports for the bar mounted on the base member, an

electric motor mounted on the base member, a transmission case mounted on the base member, a Worm gear in the case attached to the motor shaft, a pinion driving the rack bar, and a friction clutch between the worm gear and the pinion.

16. In an elevator door operating apparatus, the combination with movable floor landing doors, of an endless chain having its oppositely movable lengths connected to the doors to be parted, a sprocket Wheel for actuating said chain, a gear connected with said Wheel at one side thereof, a reciprocating rack bar engaging and revolving said gear, a stud carried by said rack bar, and a motor operated actuator carried by the elevator car located to engage said stud to reciprocate the rack bar.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

OSCAR P. MCGEE. 

